Waiting and Second Chances
by Merida's Hair
Summary: The Doctor keeps leaving Regina at the Planet of Coffee Shops and she's getting justifiably irritated. Regina as the Doctor's companion. Mention of Swan Queen. Two-Shot. Second of the "The Doctor and the Queen" series.


A/N: I hope you all enjoy! And please do leave ideas for further one shots in this universe if you happen to have them. The first one-shot is posted both here and on A03 (and on tumblr). Also this takes place for Doctor Who, in the very beginning of season 7, before "Angels in Manhatten."

Apparently, there is a discount for Queens on espresso at "Cyber Teas and Synthetic Coffee".

Unfortunately, there is an application process. And you needed to rule a planet that existed in this realm of the universe. (Conquering three more means an extra discount). And your realm needs to, well, actually still exist. Regina contemplates asking the Doctor if they can go back in time to berate her Queenly, vengeful self, that there's a possibility she can afford the best coffee in the galaxy if she put off her Curse for another couple decades. But that would cause a rip in the space time continuum, and considering how Regina still feels the urge to wring Snow's neck now and then, most likely that would not work at all.

So she sits there, drinking her fourth herbal tea, and reading the newest book by an android version of Charlotte Bronte. (Honestly, every past version of herself would be endlessly confused by this turn of events. Even the innocent and naive girl who rode horses). Perhaps she could go to a less expensive coffee shop, but this one was the least crowded, and hardly anyone bothered her. She takes out her cell phone and stares at the time. (Well, Storybrooke time).

8:00 AM.

The Doctor had been gone for six hours. He said this would be the last time, but then again he said the last time would be the last time. And the time before that. He said it just after he gets this dark, shadowed look on his face, one that reminded Regina of herself after every development in her town since Emma rolled in. Like the world was crumbling apart. But also angry, a touch of it, a touch of the anger that destroyed her in the end as she destroyed those around her. It was there, lurking somewhere in his eyes.

Still.

Regina was justifiably annoyed.

He never took her on adventures when he got that look in his eyes. The one that reminded her of herself.

She had come with the Doctor, essentially a figment of her imagination from her childhood, (Cora had removed the memory for her "safety and happiness," even though when she finally gained it back, it quickly became her happiest childhood memory amongst most of the terrible ones), because he told her the time vortex was a good place to heal as any. And that she needed time away.

At first, of course, she shut the window, (and door), on him. Several times. Figuratively and literally. She did not need to heal or time away or any of that poetic nonsense. She had lived with her grief unhealed and scabbed over for many years, and she was used to the constant stinging and suffering and the need to inflict it on others. And she couldn't leave Henry. She already owed him too much. Already needed to make up for so much.

But the Doctor didn't give up on her. For some reason, he was fixated on fixing her. The imbecile.

He kept repeating Time machine, Regina. You can see young Henry any time you wish.

Of course, he didn't mention how often the TARDIS got it wrong.

It was aggravating, and when she finally did agree to come with him for two trips, two only so he would leave her alone, she told him he could attempt none of that.

She couldn't have predicted the effect traveling would have. How so much of her anger was…ebbing away bits by bits. How seeing other worlds was opening hers. She'd never admit it to him, of course, his ego was already too inflated, but she was grateful. For the time away. Away from that town, where her mother died, partially by her hand, where her last chance ended. Where every day became more and more empty since her mother's death. Where she didn't even know what emotion came with it, immense grief or a vaguely disconcerting relief. Where her son preferred Ms. Swan, and where she was starting to not hate Ms. Swan, and that was utterly too confusing to deal with at any point of time.

She wasn't a runner. She didn't escape her problems, she delt with them accordingly.

But now she realizes that maybe she always has run from them. The ones that ate her alive daily. The ones that made her so, so angry. Odd enough, that traveling in a time machine with an eccentric alien can make one realize just a few truths about yourself. Truths you didn't want to know, but added peace to a raging fire.

And they'd saved a few planets, a few groups of people. A little girl had hugged her in 17 century France. She had been shocked, too shocked to return the unwarranted affection. A hero. They called her a hero. People who didn't know who she was, didn't know the Evil Queen, recognized the good in her, all she's ever wanted and needed someone to do. Didn't think of her as a villain. That little girl didn't know all the damage she caused, what she needed to do to get what she wanted and second chances, didn't know that she'd given up on the possibility of "goodness" for a very long time. Maybe that's all she's ever needed. Maybe that's why time away from that life was something she needed.

One look at the Doctor, all smug in his ridiculous top hat, and no. She'd never tell him.

Still, one hug from a French orphan wasn't going to instantly heal more than thirty years of suffering. Or the gnawing sadness of having to kill one's own mother for the sake of her son's safety. And her enemy's. And...her's she knows, she accepts begrudgingly. Her mother may promise love, but Cora Mill's definition of love involved destroying Regina's psyche.

Another look at the time. 8:20. She growled, and placed the tablet down in a huff. She was going to buy another scone, and then she was going to ring the TARDIS. He'd better pick up, or she'd incinerate his hats. _All_ of them.

* * *

"What?"

Perhaps he should have taken the notion of _The Evil Queen_ a bit more seriously in choosing to take Regina along with him. In his home. Where he sleeps occasionally. Because quite honestly, Regina's glare could kill. Stop both of his hearts. No chance of regeneration. It was a disconcerting feeling.

Her nostrils flare. "Seven. _Hours."_

He gulps. Oh. He twisted his bow tie uncomfortably.

"Did you get the Queens discount? Pond once got them to think she was a Queen. That was-"

_"No._ There's an application process."

He gulps again, and gives a charming grin. "Probably Amy's fault. Silly pond."

She gives that glare again, and slams down the complimentary reading tablet. She smoothes out the front of her skirt, and takes one final sip of the tea. He contemplates asking her which one it was, but is tired from dealing with a couple of rogue cybermen, and did actually want to sleep tonight. So he rocks back and forth twice on his heels, and claps his hands together once.

"So! Back to the TARDIS? Off to another soul searching adventure?"

She walks past him to the TARDIS without saying a word, or really, _strutted,_ and the Doctor is left a bit stupefied.

"I didn't mean to leave you for seven hours, Queenie! She has has a mind of her own, I told you."

She looks back from the TARDIS door and glowered dangerously.

"Do _not_ call me that!"

And proceeds to slam the door shut.

_Well_, no one closes his own TARDIS door on him. Not even queens from no longer existent realms. Oh and yes, he'd better have that conversation with her soon. There is really nothing _more_ disconcerting than deciding to pop back in on someone you promised to come back to and accidentally almost plummet into a black hole. And that includes trying to figure out what kind of alien was hiding in an apartment while naked.

He sighed, and picked a piece of lint of his suit. Or it could have been cyber men residue. One of the two.

Regina is always cross with him about something. He knows, he knows very well how much well, suffering she's going through. She just processes it differently than he does. He jokes around, generally keeps up a sunny disposition, because what's the use in making others miserable? However, _Regina_ does just that. And if he reminds her of how she was when she was little, she'd hit him, so he doesn't do that anymore. And he only had to tweak her nose once and suffer one burn mark before realizing that was a bad idea too.

She wasn't evil, however much she didn't agree with him. Very _mean_, but no. Not evil. Not while she loves her son as much as she does. How much she's still waiting to fight. She had one of the strongest wills to fight he'd ever seen in anyone, human or otherwise. He didn't want to see that will gone.

His offer for her to travel with him, for however long she wanted, was sporadic. Driven by the lost look in her eyes. The way she won't talk about her mother. What the Doctor remembers about Cora, and how he knows a lot of Regina's suffering is because of her. The way her eyes drifted to pictures of her son as they chatted in the parlor room. It'd taken a lot of pleading and showing off to get her to come with him, (and yes he knows, it's not because he's so charming), but he's glad she did. Even if she's mean.

Time away would be good for the unhappy Queen.

He just keeps forgetting that the TARDIS doesn't always _bring_ happiness as much as it ruins the lives of people he loves; hence why he leaves her so frequently at the Planet of Coffee Shops, and takes to places where she can save people and think.

_Oh._ Could that be why she was cross with him this time?

She really didn't like the notion of being protected. When she mentioned Emma Swan, (oh that poor child, prophecies were really quite a nuisance), she practically spat _fire_ on the word, _Savior_. She's been saving herself for a very long time.

Once upon a time ago, he could have saved her. And he didn't.

He keeps owing children happy endings, he realizes with guilt in the pit of his stomach.

He just hopes he's able to give Regina one.


End file.
